Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 13h

"Grief is the loneliest journey," said Bev Brogden, whose son, Ryden, 27, was killed outside a Banff nightclub.

"Before this incident, my world was humble and happy. It made sense … suddenly I [am] in an unrecognizable world."

She was one of 75 people who provided victim impact statements:

'I became a broken man': Banff stabbing victim's father speaks at killer's sentencing hearing | CBC News

Love and grief filled a Calgary courtroom on Tuesday as the friends and family of Ryden Brogden read aloud their victim impact statements three years after he was fatally stabbed outside a Banff night...

www.cbc.ca

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 16h

That's how police described his reaction:

Oct. 7, 2025

Airdrie RCMP seek public assistance in identifying suspect in hit and run of a pedestrian

Airdrie, Alta. – On Oct. 2, 2025, at approximately 8:38 a.m., Airdrie RCMP was dispatched to assist EMS with an injured teenager who was hit by a vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined that the 17-year-old female was walking across a marked crosswalk at the intersection of Windhaven Gate and Windstone Road, when she was hit by a white Dodge Caravan. The male driver got out of the van and appeared to be upset with the pedestrian. He then walked back to his van and fled the scene, driving eastbound towards 8 Street.

The pedestrian received minor injuries as a result of the collision.

Anyone with information about this incident, or can identify the suspect, is asked to please contact the Airdrie RCMP at 403-945-7267. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the "P3 Tips" app available through the Apple App or Google Play store. To report crime online, or for access to RCMP news and information, download the Alberta RCMP app through Apple or Google Play. To contact RCMP non-emergency line within any Alberta RCMP jurisdiction call 310-RCMP(7267).

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 16h

"minor injuries" according to police

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 16h

Police in Airdrie, Alberta (just north of Calgary) say this driver hit a 17-year-old girl in a marked crosswalk, got out of the vehicle, and appeared to get upset at the teenager before driving away.

They released this video and are now trying to identify the driver.

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Reposted by Robson Fletcher

Monica Kidd @monicakidd.bsky.social · 1d

My cover story in the next issue of The Walrus.

The Walrus @thewalrus.ca · 1d

A generation ago, measles was declared eradicated from Canada. Today, Alberta reports more confirmed cases than the entire United States. How did it become the epicentre of Canada’s outbreak? Physician and journalist @monicakidd.bsky.social explores: thewalrus.ca/how-alberta-beca...

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 1d

Stumbled across the Fox News TikTok account and I don’t know what I was expecting but it’s still somehow more than I was expecting

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 4d

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith posted a photo of a child in a crowd holding up a sign saying "My Sober Parents" on social media platforms this week.

The caption said his parents were "lost to addiction."

The kid's mom says the post was "completely false" and the premier "used my son for clicks":

www.cbc.ca

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Reposted by Robson Fletcher

Dave Infante @dinfontay.com · 4d

“'The fact that we don't have money to pay journalists, but we have money to pay Bari Weiss between $100 and 200 million is indicative of what the Ellisons' true goal here is,' a network correspondent said. 'And it's not journalism.'"

CBS News staffers are ‘literally freaking out’ about Bari Weiss taking over newsroom

EXCLUSIVE: ‘People are using words like depressing and doomsday – feels like some sort of doomsday,’ one source told The Independent about the mood inside CBS News right now.

www.independent.co.uk

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 4d

Good lord, these allegations:

57 people forced to work as personal servants "around the clock."

Some had to transport women to/from church leader & give them Plan B pills.

Other followers worked "long hours with no pay" in call centres, soliciting $50M over a decade.

$500K in gold bars seized.

Raid of church leader’s Florida mansion reveals 57 forced laborers, feds say

The victims, called “armor bearers” by the church, are threatened with damnation if they fail to meet their quotas, federal officials say.

www.miamiherald.com

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 4d

"Big Tech’s MAGA pivot is cynical, cowardly, and self-serving. It is also a perfect match."

@cwarzel.bsky.social on how capitulating to Trump's lawsuits may be "embarrassing" for YouTube, Meta, Twitter, etc., but also allows them to "pivot toward dispensing with the work of moderation altogether."

YouTube Bends the Knee

Welcome to the era of Big-Tech capitulation.

www.theatlantic.com

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 4d

Babies and young children are now paying the price for creeping anti-vaccine rhetoric that began long before they were born.

These childhood diseases are preventable and, until recently, had been heavily suppressed, if not virtually eradicated, by widespread vaccination.

Premature baby dies of measles in Alberta outbreak's 1st death
Baby born early, with congenital measles after mother contracted virus, province says
Jennifer Lee · CBC News · Posted: Oct 02, 2025 2:23 PM MDT | Last Updated: October 2

Mississippi Baby Dies of Whooping Cough, the State’s First Pertussis Death in 13 Years
Heather Harrison by Heather Harrison September 30, 2025

Second child dies of measles as Texas outbreak worsens
6 April 2025
Madeline Halpert BBC News, Texas

British baby dies from whooping cough as vaccination rates fall
This article is more than 1 month old

Infant’s mother had not been vaccinated against the highly infectious disease, which affects the lungs and airways

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 5d

Those are the number of hospitalizations and ICU admissions since the first outbreak in March.

There are not nearly that many people *currently* in hospital.

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 5d

An Albertan has died from measles: a baby born prematurely after the child's mother contracted the disease while pregnant.

Statement from Adriana LaGrange, Alberta's Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services:

Please see the statement below, attributable to Minister LaGrange.

“Since measles cases were first reported in Alberta this spring, I had hoped this moment would not come.

I am saddened to share that we have had our first death from measles in the province. A child, born prematurely after the mother contracted measles during pregnancy, died shortly after birth.

This is a heartbreaking loss, and no words can capture the pain of losing a child. My sincere condolences go to the family during this profoundly difficult time.

Children under five, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems face the greatest risks from measles. Measles during pregnancy can lead to serious complications, including miscarriage, preterm labour, stillbirth, and congenital infection. Anyone planning a pregnancy should ensure they have received two doses of measles-containing vaccine prior to conception, as vaccination during pregnancy is not recommended.

If you are unsure of your immunization status, call 811 or visit alberta.ca/measles for information. Please take steps to protect yourself and those most vulnerable in our communities.”

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 5d

"One day after a central Alberta hospital alerted the provincial government and senior health care leaders that it had implemented a strict masking policy to prevent the spread of measles, the facility-wide safety measure was discontinued, documents obtained by The Globe and Mail show."

Alberta hospital’s mask mandate for measles ended a day after it alerted province, health officials

Internal e-mails show AHS staff fielded questions about mandate from province

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Reposted by Robson Fletcher

John Gramlich @johngramlich.bsky.social · 5d

% of US men under 30 who say legal sports betting is a *bad thing* for society

22% in 2022
47% in 2025

No other demographic group has seen a bigger increase.

Americans increasingly see legal sports betting as a bad thing for society and sports

Today, 43% of U.S. adults say the fact that sports betting is now legal in much of the country is a bad thing for society, up from 34% in 2022.

www.pewresearch.org

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Science Vs @sciencevs.bsky.social · 6d

This moment from our latest episode with science writer @edyong209.bsky.social is 🔥

We asked Ed — how do we talk up the benefits of science in the face of government cuts? He told us that's the wrong approach. 🧪

Listen wherever, or watch on Spotify 👇

open.spotify.com/episode/7Evh...

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 6d

"I think that coastal provinces have a special obligation to be generous in making sure that we're creating access to ports for all of our products," Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said at Wednesday's news conference.

Alberta to apply to Major Projects Office for new bitumen pipeline to northern B.C. coast | CBC News

The Alberta government plans to develop and submit a formal application to the federal Major Projects Office for a new bitumen pipeline to the northwest coast of British Columbia.

www.cbc.ca

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 6d

"Jennifer Young, spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Canada, said the current U.S. government shutdown prevents the embassy from commenting on the change."

Canada issues warning for citizens with gender-neutral passports travelling to U.S. | CBC News

The Canadian government is warning citizens who list "X" as their gender on their passports could have problems entering the U.S.

www.cbc.ca

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 6d

Canadian news links are banned on Facebook but governments can still livestream news conferences on their Facebook pages.

So you can watch this news conference live on Facebook but won't be able find links on Facebook to the news stories that come out of it. 🙃

4.1K views · 98 reactions | BREAKING: Alberta announces new major energy project application under the "Building Canada Act" | Danielle Smith

BREAKING: Alberta announces new major energy project application under the "Building Canada Act".

www.facebook.com

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 6d

“Microsoft says its Agent Mode in Excel has an accuracy rate of 57.2% in SpreadsheetBench, a benchmark for evaluating an AI model’s ability to edit real world spreadsheets.”

I work with a lot of spreadsheets and slightly better than a coin flip is, um, not an acceptable level of accuracy.

Microsoft launches ‘vibe working’ in Excel and Word

Vibe working is all about Office’s new Agent Mode.

www.theverge.com

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Reposted by Robson Fletcher

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 6d

Great interview with @miasato.bsky.social:

"As journalists we’re ceding ground to content creators who don’t know left from right, who didn’t report the stories, who don’t have the expertise to explain ... And so part of me being on TikTok is honestly being the representative for my own work"

Mia Sato @miasato.bsky.social · 6d

I chatted with Kate Lindsay over at Embedded about how I use TikTok to share my reporting 🤳
embedded.substack.com/p/mia-sato-t...

The journalist cracking the TikTok code

Mia Sato was tired of watching news influencers steal her work.

embedded.substack.com

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 6d

After cutting his mic, telling him his question about Alberta's teacher strike didn't make sense and that his parents should spank him, Premier Danielle Smith's executive director Bruce McAllister apologized in a post on X to 17-year-old Evan Li.

Li wants a direct apology.

Alberta town hall moderator apologizes for 'inappropriate' spanking quip towards Calgary student | CBC News

The moderator of the province's Alberta Next panel has publicly apologized for a remark Premier Danielle Smith has called offensive. Smith now says she considers the matter closed.

www.cbc.ca

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Reposted by Robson Fletcher

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 7d

OpenAI employees are very excited about how well their new AI tool can create fake videos of people doing crimes and have definitely thought through all the implications of this

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 8d

“Calgary-based Imperial Oil says it will be eliminating 20 per cent of its workforce by the end of 2027.

…The news came in a media release Monday afternoon, in which the company said it will realize ‘substantial efficiency and effectiveness benefits’ as a result of the decision.”

Calgary-based Imperial Oil to eliminate 20% of workforce | CBC News

In a release Monday afternoon, the company announces workforce cuts to come by the end of 2027.

www.cbc.ca

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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 8d

Yeah it's on you to figure out which phase you are in. As the email notes: "you may be turned away if you are not eligible."

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